Fee to South Iceland Geothermal Area “not Reason for Fewer Tourists”

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Fee to South Iceland Geothermal Area “not Reason for Fewer Tourists”

October 31, 2013 15:00Updated: January 30, 2014 20:24

The supervisor at the geothermal area at Hveragerði, South Iceland, Sigríður Hrönn Gunnarsdóttir, argues that tourists have not been put off by the ISK 200 (USD 1.65, EUR 1.20) visitation fee introduced last summer.

Hveragerði. Photo: Wikipedia.

It had earlier been reported that the number of tourists to the area had decreased due to the introduction of the fee. “It’s not true that the number of guests has decreased, as has been reported, after the fee was introduced,” Sigríður told ruv.is, adding that they explain to visitors that the fee is used to build up the area and maintain walking paths.

An aerial view of the town. The geothermal area is located in the light brown colored area in the center.

According to Sigríður, the decrease in the number of tourists last summer was not due to the fee as visitors to golf courses and camping groups in the area also decreased. Sigríður is among those who support the introduction of an entrance fee at the popular Geysir geothermal area, arguing that access needs to be improved.